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Cover of the September issue of National Geographic Magazine featuring "Mysteries of The Solar System
National Geographic / National Geographic
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Near-infrared images, captured by the Gemini South telescope in Chile, reveal planetary leftovers around other stars. Each disk of icy, rocky debris surrounds a young star (blocked out here). Many disks have inner "holes" likely carved out by newly formed planets. These disks resemble our solar system's Kuiper belt, which lies beyond the orbit of Neptune.
T. Esposito, UC Berkeley / International Gemini Observatory Noirlab/GPIES
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A solar array for NASA's Lucy spacecraft unfurls as it is tested at a Lockheed Martin facility in Colorado. Set to launch in October, Lucy will need two of these arrays to generate power during its 12-year mission to explore Jupiter's Trojan asteroids. These ancient swarms, which orbit the sun alongside the giant planet, may hold clues to the solar system's original layout.
Patrick H Corkery, Lockheed Martin
Imagine traveling nearly 400-million miles to witness an asteroid field that dates back to the beginning of our Solar System. National Geographic Science Writer Michael Greshko talks about his recent cover story "Mysteries of The Solar System," in the September issue of National Geographic Magazine. Greshko talks with WSIU's Jeff Williams about NASA's Lucy mission to the Jupiter Trojan asteroids for this edition of In The Author's Voice.
For more information visit National Geographic at natgeo.com/space.
